A blast from the past: I attended the Illinois Boys State in 1963 at the Springfield Fair Grounds. Guys ran for offices of all kinds in mock elections, although the attendees were the voters. I heard some excellent high school age political orators, and though I didn't run for anything myself, I did win the Abraham Lincoln Essay Contest writing on the Constitution as a Frame of Reference. Pretty good time, and a terrific high school year book entry, snappier than my other entries. Thanks to Mr. Johnson, my Civics Teacher, for nominating me; to the local DAR for sponsoring me; and to the American Legion and VFW for sponsoring the events. On the way down and back from Chicago, I spent time at the linkage between passenger cars on the train admiring the rich farmland of Illinois and smelling that fulsome soil and fauna.